✨ Grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, and a boatload of heart.

Josie expected a relaxing sibling getaway. What she got instead? A rundown cottage (aka The Murder Cottage), a grumpy hockey player named Wyatt (her brother’s best friend, of course), and a summer that sails straight into chaos—and maybe something more.

Emma St. Clair delivers a charming, closed-door romance packed with witty banter (I’m always here for good banter!) and emotional depth. Josie, a school nurse with a sharp tongue and a soft heart, is roped into helping Wyatt recover from an injury. Cue the tension, the slow-burn chemistry, and a sailing trip that turns into a journey of healing, laughter, and unexpected love.

🎧 Bonus: The audiobook features dual narration, adding extra charm to an already delightful story.

If you’re craving a feel-good romance with heart, humor, and a splash of sea breeze, If All Else Sails is your next summer escape. No spice, just swoon. 💕


Thank you NetGalley, Emma St. Clair, and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ALC!

#BookReview #RomComReads #EnemiesToLovers #CleanRomance #EmmaStClair #IfAllElseSails #Fable #SummerReads #ARCReview

Thank you to Zondervan Audio for the ALC and to #talkingtomybookstravelingarc hosted by @bookswithnopictures and @just_talking_to_my_shelf for the traveling ARC.

What to expect:
-Grumpy x sunshine
-Brother's best friend
-Forced proximity
-secret pining
-closed door, kissing only
-cute outfits for a tiny dog

If All Else Sails is a sweet summer romcom with lots of humor and, of course, a sailing adventure. Josie & Wyatt's story is a perfect cozy read that will make you laugh and have you swooning over Wyatt. You may also feel like venturing out onto open water to feel the breeze in your hair...or go shopping for tiny dog dresses. I love Emma's writing and this was definitely a fun one to annotate.

After getting glimpses of Wyatt in the Appies group chat, it was great to see the connection to the Appies hockey romance series.

The book is dual POV and the audiobook has dual audio narration. The female narrator, Andy Arndt, did a great job. However, the mail narrator fluctuated his volume from extremely low to loud suddenly, making it difficult to pick a volume setting for his chapters.

Overall, this was a fun beach (or sailboat) read!

This was a super cute summery romance! I loved the forced proximity of the situation Josie and Wyatt find themselves in, especially with the added factor of Josie having to help Wyatt recover from his injury. It was a cute, heartwarming and funny closed door romance, with plenty of pining and tension! 

I will say that this is being marketed as an enemies-to-lovers romance, which it definitely isn't. Honestly I expect that at this point, because almost any contemporary that says it is enemies-to-lovers is just saying that bc it's a popular trope, even though it's not accurate... But yeah just don't go in expecting that.  

I really enjoyed the audiobook version, although there were a few times where the volume control from the male voice actor was a bit off, and went from yelling to quiet rather than being a more consistent volume.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinion!

3 stars – 0 chili peppers (like literally no spice)

-Hockey player MMC + School Nurse FMC
-Brothers Best Friend
-Enemies to Lovers LTE
-Miscommunication Trope
-Zero Spice or Language (closed door – only kissing and hand holding)
-Forced Proximity
-She nurses him back to health
-Extremely wholesome
-He falls first
-Dual narration

We start with Josie excited to meet her brother for their (sorta) annual super sibling extravaganza vacation. Only when she arrives at the (questionable) location he gave her, he is nowhere to be found. Instead, she finds her brother’s best friend, Wyatt, hiding out in a dilapidated old house. After a less than warm welcome, Josie agrees to be Wyatts nursemaid/handler for the summer.

Wyatt is an injured hockey player who is hiding out from the press to recover and deal with some personal issues before next season. When Josie shows up he panics and says the wrong thing like he always does around her. Can he convince Josie to give him the chance he has always wanted?

The audiobook was really good! Patrick was great at portraying a grumpy injured hockey player and Andi was great as the exasperated nurse trying to coral her patient. I listened on 1.5x speed and thought it was perfect.

If you’re looking for a wholesome (with no spice or bad language) romance with very low stakes this is definitely the one for you.

A brother tricks his sister who is a school nurse into caring for his hockey star best friend after his unexpected injury during her summer break. Unbeknownst to either of them, the brother's plan was to set the two of them up all along. As Josie cares for Wyatt, they grow closer and uncover misconceptions they had about each other. Josie joins Wyatt on his summer sailing trip and they fall for each other. Themes of sexual abuse and anxiety are discussed and the difficulties that can arise as a result. Cute book with real life problems.

I enjoyed the book, it was a cute closed door, summer romance. The book was well written and I enjoyed Josie and Wyatt’s banter. Wyatt has been in love with Josie for years but constant says the wrong things around her. It was adorable watching him try to get things right. He is so sweet and patient with Josie. While I liked Josie, I was annoyed by certain things. She let her brother emotionally manipulate her and she had some trauma from an event that happened while she was in high school that she never got help for. This led to her being emotionally and physically distant for a lot of the book. But she eventually opened herself up to Wyatt and their romance was sweet. My big issue with the book was the male narrator. I liked the female narrator but really didn’t like the male narrator. He was over dramatic and would randomly raise his voice and would over enunciate at random times.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked the characters, the sailing, the funny incidents. Although there weren't many side characters, those that did appear were well drawn and felt like real people.

The romance was very, very slow burn. There wasn't a lot toward relationship building in the first 30% of the book. Even once it starts building, it takes a long time for any real acknowledgment between the characters. But they were fun together.

It's also dual perspective, which didn't seem necessary. With 30 chapters and an epilogue, we only got 7 from Wyatt's perspective. These sudden jumps to his mind threw off the flow of the story more than anything.

I listened to the audiobook, but I think I would prefer reading this one physically more. The narrators, particularly Patrick Zeller, who voiced Wyatt, did not work well for me. I also had to adjust the volume between the two, because he was more difficult to hear. The production quality didn't sound different, so I'm not sure what it was.

Overall, a great story and fun to see Wyatt here after meeting him in the Appies.

I received a copy of this audiobook through Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

2.75 stars
If All Else Sails had some genuinely funny one-liners and charming moments, but overall it didn’t quite land for me. While it was marketed as a romance, it felt more like women’s fiction with a very minimal romantic subplot. There was a bit of romantic tension, but not nearly enough to carry the story—and the main couple hadn’t even kissed by 92%, which made the payoff feel underwhelming.

The humor was definitely a highlight, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times. But the male narrator made it hard to stay engaged—his voice was grating enough that I considered DNFing more than once. I pushed through to the end, but ultimately, it just didn’t leave much of an impression. Cute in parts, but not particularly fulfilling.

I am a passionate listener of audiobooks. Unfortunately, the male narrator made this particular audiobook quite challenging to enjoy. It felt as though he mumbled at times, making it difficult to comprehend. Additionally, his voice volume fluctuated significantly, forcing me to constantly adjust the volume up and down. I attempted to listen through AirPods, in the car, and via a speaker at home, but it was simply unbearable. This is truly disappointing, as the story holds a lot of potential. I plan to pick up the ebook on release day and read it for myself.

The double-take I did when I realized this book takes place partly in Kilmarnock, Virginia—where my grandparents live—was truly comical. I was so excited because that town is a little slice of my heart (and I’m also a hockey fan, so this was a combination of my favorite things!).

This book was so much fun listening to. I’m always a sucker for dual narrative romance novels where one character is convinced the other hates them but you see the other POV and know it’s the exact opposite. It was funny and quirky and I would really love to see a visual of what she looked like with poison oak because the images I have in my brain are not pretty!

I loved both narrators as well! They did an excellent job of displaying the emotion in their lines. The only comment I have is that at some points I think the male narrator’s microphone wasn’t a consistent sound quality so it was harder to hear him, but it didn’t take away from my listening experience at all.

When Josie's brother sends her to a random address for their (sometimes) annual Super Summer Sibling Extravaganza, she finds neither siblings nor extravaganzas. Instead, ends up at a run-down cottage on the Northern Neck of Virginia occupied by Wyatt Jacobs, a hockey player who isn't just one of her sports agent brother's clients but also his best friend and Josie's sworn enemy. Oh--and her brother wants Josie to help Wyatt recover from his injury.

This had all the signature Emma St Clair shenanigans; from run-ins with wild pigs to trips to the ER for poison oak reactions, the fun wasn't lacking. Wyatt also softened towards Josie as she cared for him and tagged along on his sailing trip down South. I loved how patient he was with her as their feelings grew.

I like that the male narrator's tone somehow embodied Wyatt's curmudgeon ways but sometimes it was more of a mumble and hard to catch. The female narrator did a great job.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. It's out August 5th!

Rating: 4⭐
Steam level: 1🌶️ Kissing only

If All Else Sails by Emma St. Clair needs to be made into a a hallmark movie because I cannot get enough.

Rating; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice; /5

In this story we are introduced to Josie. A school nurse who is use to putting bandaids on knees and bloody nosies. But when she goes to meet her brother Jacob. She is suddenly faced with his Best Friend and Best Client Wyatt. An injured hockey player in need of assistance to heal.

Josie is faced with spending the summer with her brothers best friend who has proven a dislike towards her. Or alone back home. And Wyatt facing a summer with a girl who has always felt an instant connection with.

Here comes the adventure of a lifetime. Full of fluffy doggo in cute sailors outfits, sailing moments to last them a lifetime, and sneaky side smiles when the other isn’t looking

Let along I received this book as an ALC. the narrators were amazing! I loved the tones of both of their voices and the complete control to drop or raise an octave to portray their opposite MC, in this Duel POV chapters.
.
Troupes include
- brothers best friends
- Forced proximity
- He falls first
- Grumpy Sunshine
- And so much more!
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Thank you so much to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to listen and review.

📖 ARC/ALC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @thomasnelson for an early copy of If All Else Sails by @kikimojo. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: August 5th, 2025

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

If All Else Sails is a charming enemies-to-lovers / brother’s best friend romance that pairs school nurse Josie with her brother’s hockey player best friend, Wyatt. The two are tricked into spending the summer together by Josie’s brother, Jacob, after Wyatt refuses to see a doctor or go through physical therapy following an injury.
As they learn to co-exist under one roof, Josie slowly realizes that there’s more to Wyatt than his grumpy demeanor. She finds out he had planned to sail to Savannah to scatter his late uncle’s ashes, honoring his final wish—and agrees to join him on the condition that he fully commits to his recovery.
I really enjoyed this book, especially Josie and Wyatt’s banter! Wyatt was such an endearing character—grumpy on the outside but clearly a softie where Josie is concerned. He suffers from what Josie hilariously refers to as “foot-in-mouth disease,” but his sweetness always shines through. Whether or not she asks, he anticipates her needs and supports her, even though she's technically supposed to be the one taking care of him. I just wish we had more of his POV, since it was obvious he’d been falling for her from the very beginning.
Though this is a light and cozy summer romance, St. Clair adds depth with subplots involving Josie’s anxiety and Wyatt’s grief and complicated relationship with his father. These issues were touched on with care, but I do wish there had been a bit more resolution or growth in those areas. Wyatt’s journey—physically recovering and honoring his uncle’s last request—felt like a symbolic step, but some emotional closure would’ve made it even more satisfying.
If you're looking for a sweet, slow-burn summer romance with heart, humor, and just the right touch of angst, If All Else Sails is a great pick. Plus, the supporting characters (Jacob! Jib!) add so much charm. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a fantastic job capturing Josie and Wyatt’s personalities—making the experience even more fun and emotionally engaging

This book was really cute. Cozy romance with some fun tropes like brother's best friend and forced proximity.

Wyatt and Josie were so sweet, and the grumpy/sunshine aspect worked really well. They were adorable, and their relationship was fun and teasing and had the right amount of depth.

I loved the sailing bit and seeing Wyatt and Josie heal and learn to communicate. This really felt like the love letter Emma meant it to be to some of her childhood memories. Emma's love for sailing and the locale were obvious in her writing.

As always, I loved Emma's writing, and the story had a lot of promise. Overall, a fun read that I would recommend to those who like closed-door but still sparky with good tension.

There were some things that didn't quite work for me. Going in, I was super excited and had a lot of fun with the intro to the characters and the situations they found themselves in. The further I got in to the story, though, the less I found myself enjoying it. There were a lot of dragging moments that made the story feel slow.

The book was promoted as enemies-to-lovers, but it felt more like miscommunication-to-lovers because it was pretty clear that Wyatt was super into Josie the whole time.

That being said, I did enjoy most of the book, and I think it's definitely worth reading. I'll read anything that Emma puts out. I've reread a lot of her books, and will continue to do so. This one won't be a reread for me, but it was fun to read once.

Notes about the audiobook, I really liked the female narrator, but the male narrator was difficult for me to listen to. A lot of his intonation and emphasis felt out of place, and I had to keep adjusting my volume to accommodate the changes in how loud he would get, which was really frustrating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the complimentary copies. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Notes:
Romance: Kisses only
Violence: None
Language: None
Content/triggers:

I am a boater and love anything that has to do with cruising and sailing so I really enjoyed this sweet romcom. The characters are funny and completely lovable. I would rate the book itself 4 stars but the audiobook was less enjoyable. The female narrator did an excellent job but the male narrator was extremely uncomfortable to listen to. He would YELL SO LOUD and then whisper so quiet. I found myself just rushing through his parts as quickly as I could. The copy from NetGalley was also missing chapter 21 which made the story a little confusing at first. I was driving while listening so I had to go back and read it in my eARC afterwords for it to make more sense. Overall, I enjoyed this book enough (plus it has the CUTEST cover) that I ordered a physical copy for my bookshelf.

This was such a great summer read! Josie was such a fun and positive FMC, especially when tasked with taking care of Wyatt who was the grumpiest of grumps. The setting was great, half of the book was on a sailing ship, talk about forced proximity 🤭. The other half set in a run down “murder cottage” in Virginia. The banter was great, I found my self giggling multiple times. I loved Jib the rescue dog who may have more swimsuits than I do…

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I was so happy to get another small taste of the Appies! Wyatt and Josie are the perfect grumpy sunshine. The banter was golden. The dog outfits, the cute sailing terms, I loved it all! Emma proves herself an expert in closed door romance again and again.

Loved this audiobook! What’s not to love about forced proximity and enemies to lovers?!? The banter between Josie and Wyatt is chef’s kiss! 💋 When Josie arrives at a little dumpy cottage expecting to meet her brother and finds herself being watched from a window and her brother is nowhere in sight she starts to freak out until she soon finds out it’s her brothers best friend and client injured hockey player Wyatt. As a nurse she gets roped into caring for him (by her brother) and sailing on Wyatt’s boat with him for a long trip down the inter coastal. This book made me laugh so many times!

First off, I really enjoyed the narrators of this book and love that it had dual narration and POV. It also has some great tropes (Brother's Best Friend, Forced Proximity), but the story kind of fell flat for me. This was definitely advertised as an "Enemies to Lovers" or "Rivals to Lovers" book, but it definitely does not fit that category. I also felt like there was a lot of "telling" us, the reader, how they felt via their inner monologue but not a lot of "showing" it on page and the spark and chemistry just didn't seem to be there at times. I felt like it was trying to be a "Slow Burn," but in order to fit that description... the "burn" has to be there.

* This probably isn't a big deal to most people, but I really struggled when there was an on page severe, life-threatening allergic reaction described and discussed in detail. Having a husband who has an anaphylactic allergy, it was just a bit triggering because I read to escape "real life" and that, unfortunately, is not something I can handle reading about after seeing it in real life with someone I love so much. I am sure most people wouldn't think twice about it though, and that's ok! It's just a personal thing for me.

Thank you Thomas Nelson for the gifted copy #giftedbyuplit

This was my first Emma St. Clair book, and I’m already excited to dive into her backlist! I really enjoyed this one — it’s a sweet, feel-good romance with great characters, solid funny moments, and a tiny dog with an ultra fashionable wardrobe.

I liked the set up — she’s a school nurse, he’s a hockey player, and she’s taking care of him for the summer while he’s nursing an injury. He’s also her brother’s best friend who she’s clashed with for years. Definitely couldn’t be secret pining, no way 😉 They’re friendship (and more) gradually develops over the course of the summer. It’s soft and easy and sweet to watch. I wouldn’t say It’s one that’s going to stay with me forever, but I had a great time reading it (which is just what you need sometimes!).

A note on pacing: the title and cover suggest a sailing-themed story, but they don’t even discuss it until 1/3 of the way through, and don’t get on the boat until after the halfway point. It didn’t bother me b/c I enjoyed the rest of their story, but it is a little “bait and switch”-ish.

Audio: The audiobook is dual POV, narrated by Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller, two prolific names in romance audio. Andi is always solid, though her male voices can sound a little mumbly (especially at higher speeds). Patrick is incredibly expressive, sometimes too much for me, but here he struck a good balance and didn’t pull me out of the story with his performance.